MQM chief urges Army to take 'unpleasant' steps to rescue the country

Altaf Hussain says he is strictly against martial law, but calls for formation of a national government.

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said on Friday that the army's credibility had been defamed on the floor of the National Assembly, and that the military should restore it within the ambit of the Constitution.

According to a press statement issued by the MQM on Friday evening, Altaf said that in order to save the country, if the armed forces has to take ‘unpleasant’ steps, then it should.

However, the MQM chief clarified that he was strongly against marital law. He said the government, by blaming on the opposing parties for involving the army as mediator, has tried to tarnish the image of the armed forces, and that if he was in place of Nawaz Sharif, he would have immediately resigned as the prime minister.

Separately, in an interview to a television news channel, Altaf called for the formation of a technocrat government as he asked the army to intervene in the ongoing political crisis in order to save the country.

Speaking to a news channel following the ISPR release which said that the government had asked the army chief to play a facilitative role, Altaf said that the army should set up a technocrat government and then leave.

If needed, the armed forces should take ‘unpleasant’ steps to save the country, he said, urging the army to take action without delay.

Earlier, Altaf had welcomed the role of the army chief to solve the political crisis, and said that he had won the hearts of thousands of people by playing an effective role for the solution of the crisis.